Children love to show what they can do. They love autonomy in choices, independence in tasks, contributing in the home, and creating things. As parents and caregivers we are to decide what a child is offered to eat and when, but the child is to decide if and how much they will eat. Offering children the opportunity to create their own version of a meal follows this division of responsibility while also allowing for independence and contribution from them to the meal.
I have partnered with KiddoBloom to bring you a fun lunch (or snack) option that your children may enjoy assembling. It offers representation from 3 food groups and is packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre, and healthy fats.
Place a pita, wrap, or whole grain crackers on a plate along with cucumber slices (or alternate fruit or vegetable) and a scoop of hummus or mashed avocado. Then let your child decide what is next. They may choose to dip the pita and cucumbers in the hummus or they may choose to build a stack, wrap, or sandwich.
And even if they don’t eat it all, remember that exposure is key! Even food sitting on a plate or touched but not consumed is an important exposure that contributes to increasing interest in and variety of food consumed.